title: Arbor: comparative analysis workflows for the tree of life.
abstract: We describe our efforts to develop a software package, Arbor, that will enable scientific research in all aspects of comparative biology. This software will enable developmental biologists, geneticists, ecologists, geographers, paleobiologists, educators, and students to analyze diverse types of comparative data at multiple phylogenetic and spatiotemporal scales using an intuitive visual interface. Arbor's user-defined workflows will be exported and shared so that entire analyses can be quickly replicated with new or updated data. Arbor will also be designed to easily and seamlessly expand to include novel analytical tools as they are developed. Here we describe the core components of Arbor, as well as provide details of one proposed test case to illustrate the software's key functionality.
authors.forename: Luke J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Harmon
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baumes
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soberon
authors.forename: Chelsea D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: Wesley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lisle
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Thacker